Snapshot
by MyTypeOfGuyIsFictional
Summary: Daily Drabbles of the BAU. I hope to write one of these every day for 100 days. Main characters and ratings at the top of each chapter. Many will be Reid or Garcia-centric. NO NON-CANON PAIRINGS -discontinued-
1. Introduction

**I AM BACK! So, even though I have two stories in progress that I really should be finishing *ducks to avoid flying fruit*, I've made myself a challenge: write something every day for 100 days using a DeviantArt drabble challenge. Of course, I'll continue my other stories too, but this idea won't leave my mind. Think of it as an added bonus for the people who read my other stories. These will probably be really short, by the way. **

**NOW, ON WITH THE STORY! REVIEWS ARE MUCH APPRECIATED, THANK YOU!**

**Rating: K**

**Aaron Hotchner, David Rossi, Team**

Aaron Hotchner looked out over the bullpen area, watching his team. The girls were chatting off to one side, presumably about their lives outside of work, since Penelope was with them, and not hiding in her bunker. The boys, on the other hand…

"Come on, Reid, you've gotta have some statistic on this," Morgan laughed as Reid chugged an entire cup of coffee.

"The most coffee ever consumed at one time by one person was 82 cups in 7 hours, or 11.714258 cups per hour, and since I am nowhere close to drinking that much, I think I'll have another cup," the genius replied, walking to the kitchenette to pour himself more of his favorite beverage, coffee-flavored sugar. Morgan just stared in disbelief, and Aaron allowed himself a small smile, quickly concealed, at his team.

For once, they were simply having a peaceful day, without a case dragging them away, or mountains of paperwork prompting a search party for the desks. He watched them just be, unaware of the fact that Rossi had joined him a few minutes before.

"It's nice to see them like this, isn't it?" he asked, looking over the team's various antics. "It's days like these that I know they'll be all right."

"That's the truth. I'm glad that Alex is fitting in with us already," Hotch added. He ran a hand through his hair and said, "We really are a family, aren't we?"

"That we are, that we are," Rossi replied. He was surprised at how far the BAU had come, from a few old men holed up in a closet to a group of fresh, young faces that had become almost as close as his blood family over the years.

They were a family, and that was all the introduction they needed.


	2. Complicated

**2 DAYS! HAHAHAHAHA! I DID IT OMG LIFE IS GOOD!**

**Characters: Spencer Reid, Mentions of Maeve**

**Complicated**

Spencer Reid sat in a bar, nursing a glass of some type of alcohol in his hands, one he only vaguely remembered ordering. Of course, if he'd relied on his eidetic memory, he could've recited back the entire order, but this night wasn't about remembering. It was about forgetting.

It had been exactly 12 months, 25 days, one hour, seven minutes, and 23… 24… 25… seconds since Maeve's death, and he still remembered that moment in crystal clarity.

He moved to drink, but stopped himself. He knew that recovering addicts shouldn't get drunk. He'd avoided the temptation the day she died, he damn well could do it now, but not by himself, and not like this. His mind weaved through their relationship, and the only words he could put to it were beautiful, crazy, and complicated.

He left his drink untouched on the bar surface and walked out, sliding his messenger bag up onto his shoulder as he left.

He dreamed of Maeve that night, beautiful, crazy and complicated Maeve, and he dreamed of kissing her, and of everything they missed, and as much as it hurt, he felt something in his chest release, a breath he hadn't known he'd been holding since her death.

He picked up _The Narrative of John Smith _and read Maeve's dedication before opening the book and starting to read.


	3. Making History

**3 for 3! Can't believe I made it this far! **

**Currently musing to Tori Kelly music that my friend introduced me to. **

**Please R&amp;R**

**Characters: Henry LaMontagne, Team+Will LaMontagne**

It was a crisp October morning, and Henry LaMontagne was positively bouncing. It was his first soccer game ever, and his mom's entire team had shown up to cheer him on, along with his parents. His fairy godmother held one of the giant inflatable hands that people normally carried to a baseball game, and Aunt Alex had a pair of pom poms, as did his godfather, who was smiling and cheering with the others. Uncle Derek and Uncle Hotch sat on the bleachers, and even Jack was cheering Henry on; his game had already ended earlier.

Henry chased the ball down the field, careful not to use his hands and to go to the other goal. While the rest of his team was still trying to figure out how to play the game, Henry was already trying to score a goal, running up and down the field. He'd been playing soccer with his mom ever since he could run around, so it was no surprise that the first goal of the game went to Henry. He gave it his best kick, which was quite strong for a four-year-old, and sent it flying past the goalie on the other team, who tried and failed to block it.

His private cheering section erupted in loud noise as he sprinted back to the bench and high-fived his mother. To them, he had just made soccer history, and they couldn't be prouder.


	4. Rivalry

_**AN: 4 for 4, hehe. More fluffy stuff. Please R &amp; R.**_

**_Shoutout to my reviews, kimd33, Zeldawolf2000, Tannerose, and Guest. You guys warm my heart._**

If anyone on the team had a slight rivalry, it was Reid and Morgan, although it was truly a sibling rivalry in its own right. The two would compete in everything, besides athletics, in which Derek excelled, and crossword puzzles, which were Reid's forte. But their rivalry intensified with a deck of cards and a bag of pretzels, which made perfect betting tools.

As the team sat on the jet, on the way home from a case, Derek shuffled the cards and dealt them to the two of them, ignoring Blake and JJ, who were seated next to them and more than a little miffed at being left out.

"Come on, Pretty Boy, you against me, best of three," Derek challenged. They had solved their last case and saved three victims, which was as much of a victory as they ever had, and so the mood on the jet was as joyous as it could be, for a team of detectives seeking serial killers. It was happy enough that even the ever-stoic Hotch managed to make a joke.

"You know you're going to lose, right?" Hotch called out. Morgan just smirked and picked up his cards… to figure out that Hotch was right. He had, for lack of a better term, absolutely nothing. Reid smirked; he could tell that Morgan was losing badly just by the lack of trash talking. Morgan placed his cards down first, and Reid's smirk grew even bigger.

He spread out his cards and announced, "Royal Flush." In truth, the luck of the draw was not in his favor, but he'd managed. And, by the bug-eyed stare from Morgan, he'd floored his surrogate big brother.

The two continued in their poker game, and their sibling rivalry lived on.


	5. Colors

_**AN: The writers' block struck with a vengeance, so if this sucks, I apologize. Blame my muse.**_

_**Thanks to Quieten, JuliaBC, kimd33. Zeldawolf2000, Guest, and Tannerose! You guys rock! **_

_**Please R &amp; R; let's bring my muse back to life.**_

Penelope's world was made of colors. The pink of her trolls, the neon colors of her clothes, many of which were handmade, the colors of her home; these were the colors of happiness, of light, and of the reasons not to become lost in herself again.

There were other colors too; the chocolate color of Morgan's skin, the red color of Hotch's tie that was _so close_ to the color she looked away from, and yet, so ironically comforting, the purple of Reid's scarf, a gift she gave him on his 22nd birthday, a day she remembered in crystal clarity, the color of innocence in the blue of her godson's eyes, and the brown of Jack Hotchner's eyes.

These were the good colors, but they weren't the only ones.

There was grey, the sick, pallid color of dead bodies, a sight that she saw far too often for her own liking, the dark black-crimson color of spilled human blood, of lives cut too short, of innocence cruelly ripped away, leaving empty shells in the best of cases, and in the worst, leaving a bloody trail of dead bodies across America.

It was times like those, the times when she realized how much these colors took over her world, that Penelope seriously considered disappearing back underground, hiding in a bunker somewhere safe where she would never have to see the evils of the world again, but her compassionate soul would never allow her to abandon the children of the world. Instead, she'd continue to tap away at her keys, ignoring the dark colors and focusing on the bright ones surrounding her in the form of both her toys and her team, saving the few innocents of the world that she could, and trying to complete the futile and yet somehow paradoxically worthwhile mission of protecting those who couldn't protect themselves.

But how long could she stay, how long could she surround herself with the darkness without falling apart, letting it push through her barriers? She didn't know, and luckily, she would never find out.

She had her team, and they would protect her from the world that wanted to smother her light, and Penelope Garcia would remain a Polaris to them, the brightest star in the sky, the one to guide them home, to shine light through the darkest of colors.

She spun to her computers and, as quickly as possible, resumed her searches, surrounded by the colors of life and innocence.


	6. Obsession

**I apologize for the update last night. I only got about four hours of seep the night before. I hope this can somewhat make up for it. I'm officially replacing that chapter, because it sucked.**

**Spencer Reid, mentions of Maeve Donovan, Emily Prentiss, Aaron Hotchner**

"Hey, Hotch, where's the coffee?"

It was the first question that Reid asked every morning in the hotels; it was one way of knowing that he was normal. Then Hotch would point out the coffee pot, Reid's obsession, and the genius would pour himself a mug of coffee-flavored sugar. It could be counted on, for as long as anyone on the team could remember.

When Reid didn't ask, they knew. Something was wrong.

He didn't ask after Georgia for several months. Once he finally did, it was too late for them to help him. He'd beaten his addiction on his own, brought himself back to the surface, and clawed his way back to safety, but that could only last so long.

He came dangerously close to falling back to where he was after Emily's "death" As much as he pretended not to, he still didn't fully trust JJ or Hotch after that. He could try, but he knew that he couldn't fix a rift like that one. A simple coking party at Rossi's wouldn't fix it.

He came even closer after Maeve died, close enough that he had the syringe in his hand, laced with poison that would make him forget, but he thought about Maeve, and he realized that she wouldn't want this, even though he'd never even touched her.

He wished for more time, but never got it. He began to heal, slowly, fueled by the presence of his team, his _family_.

And a couple of weeks later, he'd ask Hotch for the coffee again, and everyone knew he'd pull through.


	7. Eternity

**Well, yesterday was a bad day. Really. But hopefully, this one doesn't suck as bad. I'm going to replace it later with something else, I think, just because of how bad it was.**

**Please R &amp; R, if you're still there.**

Haley Hotchner hovered just outside of her ex-husband's home, waiting for Jack to come bounding up the stairs, backpack in hand. She smiled as Aaron chased Jack up the steps, playing like a child. This was the side of him she'd fallen in love with. She hoped that, some day in the distant future, when they were together again, he could finally forget about the rest of the world and no longer be Hotch the FBI agent, but Aaron, the goofball Pirate #4 who'd stolen her young heart and refused to give it back, no matter how long she waited.

She watched them just live, watched them move along in life, and she smiled. She couldn't be with them, but they could be happy all the same.

It might be an eternity before they could be a family again, since Haley's life had been stolen, but one day, they would be together for an eternity.

She could wait for that.


	8. Death

**_So, now that I'm functioning on more than five hours of sleep, I finally remember to do something very important. Thanks to ALL my reviewers. *Deep Breath*: Tannerose5, Zeldawolf2000, Jayjrat, Quieten, JuliaBC, Kimd33, LichMaster701, and an anon. Hugs and Garcia's cookies to all of you._**

**Rated K+**

**William LaMontagne, Jennifer Jareau-LaMontagne, Henry LaMontagne**

_Till death do us part_. Those words would forever echo in JJ's ears whenever she looked at her husband, William LaMontagne. With her job, it was a real possibility that they could be ripped from each other's side in a matter of seconds. All it took was one mistake.

She let her gaze drift across her kitchen to where Will was guiding Henry's chubby hand to stir marshmallows in a big pot. She smiled as she watched them make one of her favorite childhood treats. It amused JJ that Will had never had one before they met, a problem that was quickly remedied. She almost could lick her lips watching her amazing (hot!) husband and her son making Rice-Krispie treats, and realized that, no matter what happened outside, no matter how many psychos tried to shoot them, or blow them up, or kill them in innumerable other ways, they would stick together, until death in fact did them part.


	9. Gateway

**Yay, it's me! Have this update *throws the update at people*. Please R &amp; R. Flames will be eaten by my pet dragon.**

For the team, the flight on the jet was the gateway between their personal lives as a family, and the professional team tasked with solving the most violent of cases all across the country. Until they set foot in the jet, they were lighthearted, souls warmed by the ever-bright Penelope, who always seemed subdued in the outside world, as if even she was affected by the strange magic that was the flight, the magic that drained even Garcia of her brightness. As soon as they landed, they were the BAU, a professional team that went to great lengths to save those around them. They'd broken, they'd grown back together, they'd fallen apart, but the second they stepped off the jet, none of that mattered anymore.

Occasionally, the professional fronts would drop, usually when Penelope Garcia was involved, but, for the most part, the gateway between the humans and the agents was a small Gulfstream jet that had seen the horrors of their every case, and they'd have it no other way.


	10. Opportunities

**HOLY CRAP I ACTUALLY MADE IT TEN DAYS! YAY ME!**

**Please R &amp; R, and if you have any ideas that you want to see, I'd love to hear them.**

**Flames will be fed to my dragon.**

**Rated: K**

**Characters: Alex Blake**

Agent Blake held her cell phone in her hand, feeling the vibrations reverberate down her arm. She knew it was her husband calling, again. It wasn't that she didn't love him, or wasn't happy he was home; she loved having him around and not in South Sand-istan anymore. No, what she didn't want was to hear about the "opportunity" to leave the wacky family she' been accepted into and move to Harvard after working so hard to return.

It wasn't even that she didn't want to hear about it. It was that she couldn't give her husband the one answer he wanted. She wanted so desperately to say yes, to leap into his arms and run off into the sunset that was Boston, but… she had something else, another opportunity to fix her reputation, to right past wrongs.

She let James' call go to voicemail as she sat in her desk to complete some files.


	11. Dead Wrong

**So this one is actually going to be the first of some 9x24 (Demons) post-eps, so that I can finally switch this to Season 10, which is fabulous, by the way. Hopefully, I can pull this off.**

**Rated: K+**

**Characters: Spencer Reid, mentions of Alex Blake**

He wanted to believe he was reading too much into things, but he was a profiler, first and foremost, and he couldn't deny the obvious signs. It was in Alex's voice when she said goodbye, in the fact that she left her badge on his table. A small part of him knew it was hopeless, but most of him hoped that Alex would walk into work the next day, joking about the hassle of getting through security without her badge, and then he'd pull it out of his badge and everything would be normal.

But Spencer had lost more than enough people to know that he was losing Alex Blake. It pierced him down to the soul to think that another person was leaving him. First his father, then Gideon, then JJ and Emily (which had given him the hope that people could return), and now Alex.

He wished he was dead wrong, but he knew, he just _knew_ that he wasn't. He could say it was the profiler in him that concluded this, but, really, it was a scared, lonely young man being abandoned by everyone he looked up to.

Who would it be next? Morgan, Rossi, JJ (again), Garcia, or Hotch? He didn't know, but he hoped that at least _they _would still be there.


	12. Running Away

**Just barely made it on this one! XD hope you like.**

Alex Blake had worked for many years, trying to salvage a reputation shattered by Erin Strauss, and yet, now, after this last case, she was ready to give it all up. The paperwork was a formality; she'd quit when she "forgot" her badge at Reid's.

As she fell into James' arms, kissing him with fiery passion, she realized that no, she wasn't giving something up.

She was accepting something new.

As they pulled apart, Alex smiled, breathing in the scent of her husband, something she'd missed during his brief time in South Sand-istan.

"Is that offer still open?" Alex asked, out of the blue. James smiled the same grin he'd worn when they'd finally gotten married, the same dopey smile that lit up his features and made her remember how they fell in love.

"Of course it is, Alex," he replied. "Of course."

She was mostly excited as she packed, until the panicked call from Garcia came through, but Alex managed somehow to convince the rainbow whirlwind that everything was ok, even though everything really wasn't quite right. She knew she was leaving, but somehow, it felt like running away.

_No, not running,_ she realized, _just going._

She began to pack her bags, and realized, though she loved the BAU, she wouldn't miss the mutilated bodies, the broken lives, the stolen children. But she would miss her pseudo-family, no matter what.

They were as much her family as the real one, and for that… She didn't know how to thank them.


	13. Umbrella

**As a superstitious person, I'm not sure if 13 days is good or bad, but I'm leaning towards good. YAY! Anyhoodlum, please R &amp; R, but don't flame. Otherwise, I might have to donate your flames to the KJBWFF (Kill Justin Beiber With Fire Foundation).**

Every member of the team had their figurative umbrella, the shield to block out thoughts of the depravity of human beings that took it into their own hands to play god, to kill people as destroy them in the most disgusting of ways.

For Hotch and JJ, the two parents of the team, their umbrella were their families, specifically their wonderful sons, who replaced their hope in humanity with just a simple smile, blocking the rain of blood with their very presence. It was in watching Jack dash down the soccer field that Aaron Hotchner was able to imagine that the world was an inherently good place, run by good people, even though he knew the opposite was often true. For JJ, just seeing Henry's blonde locks flop into his face when he was thinking "Like Uncle Spence" was more than enough to restore the hope in people.

For Derek and Penelope, their solace was in each other. Penelope would keep Derek's world from being blackened by those around him, and he would, in turn, stand by her, defending her against both UnSubs and simply those that would attempt to destroy her sunshine, a much-needed light in their world. In truth, their over-the-top phone flirting was as much for the others as it was for them, but it was nonetheless their way of remembering that not all of humanity was as depraved as those they saw daily.

For David Rossi, his protection from the darkness of their days was once Erin Strauss, even though he thought his team might not have approved, but ever since she had been gone, he'd taken to finding peace in the woods of Little Creek, and in the kitchen where his family had taught him to cook, even when he didn't want to learn. Now, he would teach his new family, a tradition that had stemmed from Emily Prentiss' "death". His umbrella from the deluge of corpses and violence was in the little things, and in his pseudo-family.

The last of the team, the youngest and most vulnerable, found peace in his facts, using them as his own umbrella to shield himself, but it had holes, one especially large one in the shape of the state of Georgia, and in the point of a needle, which had been sewn shut by the metaphorical thread that was the rest of the team. As long as his team and his mother were safe, then his umbrella could stay together, but, should something happen to them, like with Emily's "death", the seams would pull apart, no longer protecting him from memories he'd rather forget. Of course, with an eidetic memory, he could hardly forget, but he could try. In doing so, he'd destroy his own life, but sometimes, it seemed worth it. Those were the times he needed his tea

Because they could help him to think of other things, which his books, his statistics, and his facts couldn't do for him.


	14. Judgment

Kate could feel the eyes on her as she walked into the conference room. She was new, so it was to be expected, but it somehow hurt. She could feel slight amounts of doubt emanating from the people gathered around the table, although they were quite minor. She knew she was a good agent, had proven so many times, but it was downright irritating and hurtful to have to prove this again, to another team.

As the case dragged on, with disarticulated bodies spread across Bakersfield, she could slowly but surely feel the team begin to warm up.

Garcia opened her heart the fastest, with a simple conversation about cute pictures to combat the horrors of the job. Morgan and JJ soon followed, with the conversation on the jet about battle scars. She knew that she would have to face the team's judgment, but, for now, at least, she was accepted, as much as she could be, into their little family.

"Welcome to the team, Callahan." It was in these words that Kate knew that she would fit in with the eccentric team.


	15. Seeking Solace

***dies* Chinese class is killing me, but I still managed to post tonight! Victory. Also, I got the games idea from JuliaBC's story, "Playing Games", which is fabulous, BTW.**

**Flames will be donated to the KJBWFF**

Kate turned her keys in the door, calling out "I'm home!" to announce her prescence to Meg.

The last case had been a rough one, and she needed, more than anything, to see her niece.

"Hi, Kate," Meg said from where she sat on the couch, sprawled out very much like a napping cat in the sun. Kate laughed and ruffled her hair.

"How are you?" Kate asked, pulling Meg into a hug.

"I'm ok. How was your case?" Meg asked innocently, even though she could read Kate as well as anyone, and knew that something was wrong.

"It was… tough," Kate admitted honestly. "But let's not talk about that. Let's play a game, instead." Meg jumped off the couch and grabbed Monopoly off the shelf, which had always been her favorite. The two sat around the coffee table, with Chris joining them moments later as Kate sought solace in her family, playing a board game together and pretending to be normal.


	16. Excuses

**I honestly hope this makes you chuckle a bit. Today has been the unluckiest day of 2015 so far, so I'm gonna just go hide in a hole.**

Normally, the conference room held files, a screen, and seven FBI agents. Today, it held two children, whose nannies had both been too busy and whose other parents were busy. On these rare days, which occurred maybe once a year, the two boys would be left in the conference room, with coloring books and games.

Of course, ten hours in that room would make anyone a little antsy, but that was not a valid excuse for what they did. However, it was almost worth the effort to see the two little boys wrap Agent Anderson in duct tape.

Where they got the duct tape would forever be a mystery, and how they managed to convince Anderson to let them wrap him in duct tape wasn't important.

What was important was that a federal agent wasn't wrapped in silver duct tape, and two little boys were the masterminds behind the operation, even though they couldn't come up with a decent excuse.

"Reid," Hotch said as they untied Anderson, "Next time you're doing Physics Magic with them."

Reid just nodded and helped Anderson get off a piece of duct tape that was stuck to his foot. The boys gave a simple excuse when questioned by their parents.

"We were bored."


	17. Love

**This one will tie into tomorrow's chapter. Also, please, don't flame this chapter. Not because I like it, but because, pardon my French, my life just got majorly fucked up. **

His every plan had failed. Kevin Lynch had dated around, searching for someone to take the place of Penelope Garcia, but never found someone who connected to him as well as she did, never able to truly give his heart and soul when his heart was tucked away inside of Penelope, the tech genius who'd stolen his love before they had even met through her computer.

It might've seemed strange to some, but, to Kevin Lynch and Penelope Garcia, it seemed so normal that they'd fall in love through technology.

He didn't want them to fall apart, which had led him to Garcia's doorstep. He tapped his hand on the door three times, but there was no answer. He heard sounds coming from the apartment, though, that told him everything he needed to know.

She'd moved on without him.


	18. Tears

**Ties in to yesterday's chapter, one day later... Flames will be donated to the KJBWFF.**

It had been a long time since Kevin had cried real tears. Sure, he'd faked them when CSU technician Sharp had broken up with him, but these were the first real tears he'd allowed himself in a long time.

Nursing a broken heart, he found himself at a bar, with a drink in front of him that he couldn't remember ordering, and a lonely aura that left him in solitude, pushing away anyone who might dare to approach.

"Kevin, what are you doing here?" Penelope Garcia questioned, walking through the front door in classic Penelope attire. He did a double take before gesturing to an empty seat next to him.

"I'm nursing a broken heart. You?" he fired back, drinking from his glass, unsure of the contents. It tasted like sand, even though he was pretty sure that it was supposed to be some type of beer.

"Wow… We have quite good timing, I guess," Penelope said sadly, ordering herself a drink. "So am I."

"What happened?" Kevin asked. Inside, though he wouldn't admit it, something leapt in his heart.

"Sam and I said goodbye last night. He's moving to Canada next month." She looked down at her hands, melancholy clinging to her like a blanket. "So now, I'm back to being alone."

As Penelope's drink came, Kevin stared at her, and suddenly, without meaning to, blurted out, "I miss you." Penelope smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes.

She placed her hand over his, which had come to rest on the bar, and said, "I miss you, too." She paid for her drink, which sat untouched on the counter, and stood up to leave.

She had expected him to let her walk out of his life.

She was wrong.

Instead, he pulled her into a hug, and whispered two words that made her consider staying.

"I'm sorry."

She pulled away from his embrace, one of the many things she'd missed, and walked away from the bar, leaving him to stare after her. She couldn't tell him the truth, that she wanted nothing more to accept his offer to love again, but that she _couldn't_.

As she walked away, she rubbed at her eyes furiously, climbed into Esther, and drove away, trying to ignore the magnetic pull that insisted she return to Kevin.

It would only result in more tears.

She didn't need more tears.


	19. My Inspiration

**Just an FYI: Tomorrow's chapter might be posted on Sunday. I have five hours of rehearsal followed by a play that I'm filming, so it might be a bit crazy. **

**Love y'all!**

Little Henry LaMontagne slept soundly on his mother's lap, his blonde locks falling in a tangled mess onto the couch cushions beside them. His innocent, serene face lay facing JJ, and she let her thoughts wander, as they often did, to why she did her job, why she risked herself to protect those she'd never see again. In part, it was because she was fighting for justice, but, in truth, it was for Henry, for Jack, and for all the young children she'd ever met. It was for Garcia's future children, and Reid's future baby geniuses, and even the children she'd never meet.

It was her duty as a mother to protect her son. She brushed her hair gently through Henry's hair, not even noticing as the cushion dipped under her until Will captured her mouth in a gentle, chaste kiss.

"Are you thinkin' again?" Will asked, smiling at his wife's bright blue eyes, one of the most prominent features that she'd passed to Henry. JJ nodded, stroking Henry's blonde hair gently as they sat together.

"I was thinking about the job again," JJ said quietly. Will chuckled lightly.

"You're as married to it as you are to me," he stated. JJ's face turned defensive, until she noticed the humorous glimmer in Will's bright eyes. She slapped him playfully as he smiled, following her gaze towards their son. In moments like this, they weren't Agent Jareau and Officer LaMontagne, they were just JJ and Will, with their son, their inspiration, lying across their legs.


	20. Never Again

**Inspired by several people who wanted to see this. :). **

**ALSO: I'M 1/5 of the way through this challenge! 20 days!**

**Special thanks to: quieten, JuliaBC, Tannerose5, kimd33 Zeldawolf2000,Sierra Torrens, jayjrat, marcallie, lexji, ahowell1993 (who gave me the idea for this), Lichmaster701, fishtrek, and my guest reviewers. Hugs and cyber cookies to all of you.**

**All flames will be donated to the Kill Mary-Sues With Fire Foundation**

Henry and Jack were once again in the BAU's conference room, with both nannies and caretakers unavailable for the day. The only other person around was Reid, who had finished his files and come up to relieve Anderson of child-sitting duty, for one special reason.

The boys wanted to do Physics Magic.

Reid handed his film canister to Henry, and helped Jack set up newspaper on the table so as to avoid ruining it. He then poured in the magic ingredients, letting each boy add one, turned the canister over, and they sat down to wait. 1… 2… 3… 4… At five seconds, the liquid inside began to fizz over onto the newspaper, and the canister popped off less than a second later… straight into Kate's face.

"Ah! What was that?" Kate exclaimed, rubbing her forehead. The two little boys giggled, and Reid smiled sheepishly.

"Boy Wonder did you _really_ just hit the newest addition to the team in the forehead with your physics magic?" Garcia demanded as she came up behind Callahan. Kate spun on her heels and turned to face Reid.

"What?" Kate demanded. Reid picked up his film canister and turned back to Kate.

"Sorry," he said, setting it up to go again, but Garcia took it out of his hand.

"Nope. Not again. You might hit Hotch this time!" she said in a hushed whisper-yell. And so, instead of having fun, the boys moved to clean up, and left Henry and Jack very bored, and Anderson very worried.

No matter how many times they promised that he would never end up wrapped in duct tape again, he still was a bit worried.

Just because the adults said never again didn't mean anything.


	21. Online

**This chapter is proof that I've been playing too much Minecraft today... Oh well, hope you like it, hehe.**

"Garcia, how exactly does this work? Is it safe?" JJ asked worriedly as she watched Garcia open up a game on her computer, which was nestled in her Godson's lap.

"Yep, don't worry, our little Junior G-man is all good to go. Jack loves Minecraft, and since I go it for him when he was six, I thought I'd do the same for Henry," Garcia chirped happily. Henry reached eagerly for the mouse and began experimenting with his new game, clicking to destroy and place blocks. The happy blonde boy smiled and reached out to hug his Godmother.

"Thanks, Aunt Pen! You're the bestest fairy godmother ever!" Henry shouted before returning to his game. For a long time, it seemed that he would forever be lost in his new world, giving the women in the room extra time to catch up. They talked animatedly about Henry's latest activities, and the current events, as well as JJ's sports and Garcia's new tech gadgets. They touched every topic except for the cases that they solved. It was their day off, and shop talk was completely forbidden.

After an hour of Henry playing on Garcia's computer, and about half an hour of him playing on JJ's, Garcia realized that she had been more or less sitting around JJ's house all day. With Will visiting his mother in New Orleans, JJ and Henry were alone, which had prompted Garcia to find a solution to Henry's boredom before things got out of hand for poor JJ.

"Aunt Pen, can you play with me?" Henry asked, handing Garcia her computer. Touched, the computer tech took the computer and set it up, before connecting to Henry's private server. JJ watched as godson and Godmother played together, marveling at the wonders of the online world, and the uncontested goddess of that world, Penelope Garcia. She was suddenly worried about a certain day, however: the day she taught Henry to hack.

Oh well, she'd cross that bridge when she came to it.


	22. Failure

**Oh great, I'm introspecting again... Sorry, my muse wasn't being cooperative about doing something fluffy today, hehe.**

**Please review. Flames will be donated to the KJBWFF, the KMSWFF, and the HUBF, my three personal flame charities.**

For them, failure meant death. Failure meant nightmares, grieving families, shattered hopes and lives cut short.

For Hotch, failure meant that Jack's world was a little more dark, a little less pure. Foyet was his failure, albeit one that he'd eventually remedied, but not before Haley could pay the ultimate price.

The Replicator was Rossi's failure, even though everyone told him not to blame himself. The woman he'd loved was dead because of John Curtis, and, as much as he wanted to believe that he had done all he could, he couldn't help but believe that he should've realized it was an inside man sooner. Maybe then, he could still be holding Erin in his arms, rather than leaving flowers on her grave.

For Derek, his failure meant that another Carl Buford got another victim to torture for years, keeping them complacent with promises of great things, only to rob them of the innocence that was a beauty in their dark, bloodied world. His failure meant that his Mama, and Sarah, and Des, were all in a little more danger. Failing meant that his family was in danger, both his first and second. He'd failed Emily that night, but was simply glad that she was alive, after all that time. Derek had failed her in the warehouse, but, at least, he made sure to make Ian Doyle pay, even if it wasn't in the way that he intended. It didn't matter; Doyle was gone, at least, although nightmares didn't follow the same rules as reality, plunging them back into the world where their monsters still survived.

For Kate, failing meant that she could someday lose Meg, or Chris, the same way she'd lost her sister. Another family would go home without their little girl, or little boy, or a child would be left parentless. To fail would be failing Meg, failing Chris, and failing her team. As the newbie, she was certain to make mistakes, but she wouldn't let herself fail.

For JJ, failing meant that Will's job got a little more dangerous, and that Henry was a little less safe in the mad world they lived in. She had seen the horrors of the world for all her many years with the BAU, and would go home to hold her son close and dream about the days she was young enough to believe monsters could be beaten, while shamelessly deceiving her son into believing the fairy tales that told of princes slaying dragons, all in the name of keeping his innocence as long as she could.

For Reid, failing meant that another child had to suffer as he had in childhood, lost between the cracks if not for his genius and intuition. Failure meant admitting that his genius wasn't always enough, something he had to do far too often. Failure meant that his insecurities, things he'd thought he'd done away with long ago, would come creeping up behind him.

For Penelope Garcia, failure was something she never wanted to face. Facing failure meant facing another surviving family member in the group she wished didn't need to exist. Failure meant that she was too late, just a little too late. And no matter how many times they'd tell her it wasn't her fault, she could never bring herself to believe it. She wasn't ashamed to admit she'd failed the whole team during the fisher king case, using her computer to play games that let the psychopath into their system. It would forever haunt her, as seen in her encrypted files, records she had to keep.

Failure would always lurk around the corner for them, but, hopefully, they could hold it back for long enough to rid the world of one more monster, one more nightmare, one more killer. At least in their minds, they owed the world that much.


	23. Rebirth

**Short n' Sweet, just like I like. AKA It's way too freaking late. ANYWAY, enjoy, and please review. Remember, all flames will be donated to the KJBWFF, the KMSWFF, and the HUBF (Hobos Under Bridges Foundation)**

At exactly ten-thirty AM on a Saturday morning, Jennifer Jareau was awoken by a very loud knocking at her door. She rolled out of bed, threw on a hoodie, and opened it, allowing Penelope Garcia to whisk her away.

A few minutes of driving and about an hour of waiting in a drive-thru later, the two had arrived at the nearest spa, ready for some relaxation and rejuvenation. They talked only of Henry and Will, mostly about how the two were faring on an unplanned trip to New Orleans, and about Henry's latest mishaps (something about Physics Magic that made them both laugh, and ultimately ended with Henry covered in chocolate). They talked of sweet nothingness as they were massaged, manicured and primped to perfection.

And as they walked out, they both felt like they'd been reborn, fresh and ready to start the weekend.


	24. Breaking Away

**Let's take a trip across the pond, shall we?**

**Donations accepted for the KJBWFF, the KMSWFF, and the HUBF. Reviews welcomed.**

Emily Prentiss sat buried behind a pile of files that even Hotch would be proud of. She was scribbling away in one when she heard a knock at her door, and saw a familiar arrogant blonde lounging on her doorframe. She sighed and put down her pen.

"What do you want, Clyde?" she asked, tired. She picked up her pen again, continuing writing as Clyde watched, amused.

"As much as your love affair with your files must keep you busy, there's someone here to see you, and she demanded that I be the one to tell you. And let me tell you, Penelope Garcia is a scary person," Clyde said seriously, but he failed to keep from laughing as Prentiss looked up, shock on her face. She stood up, sliding her latest file closed, and walked with Clyde to the front of the Interpol office in Lodon to see Penelope, Derek, and Spencer standing out front.

"What are you guys doing here?" Prentiss asked. Garcia smiled.

"We're just breaking away from the normal long-distance relationship by actually sticking around, Hon," she said. "Now hug me!" Penelope pulled the three of them into a group hug, giving Prentiss no choice in whether or not to partake in the hugfest. Clyde watched amusedly from the door. They really broke away from the typical work group. They were family. He tore himself away from them and walked back into the office, thankful that Prentiss didn't think to ask _why_ Penelope had requested Clyde bring Prentiss down.

He had decided he _really_ didn't want to know.


	25. Forever and a Day

**25 DAYS! AND 100 REVIEWS! YAY! LOVE Y'ALL!**

**Thanks to Quieten, Tannerose5, jayjrat, Kimd33, Zeldawolf, and JuliaBC for your constant support. **

When Jennifer Jareau came home on Friday night, she expected to simply fall asleep as soon as she ran in, since Henry was at a friend's house.

What she didn't expect was for Will to have prepared a romantic dinner, complete with candlelight and expensive wine.

"A little birdie told me that _somebody_ might be a little in need of somethin' special," he told her as she stared at the setup. "So I did all this."

"I love you, so much," JJ said, wrapping her arms around Will. He smiled and kissed her passionately, before whispering in her ear.

"I love you too, Jay. Forever and a day."


	26. Everyday Magic

**I... don't know what to say about this...**

**ALSO, I AM ON SPRING BREAK! YAY!**

It amazed Aaron Hotchner how much the little things brought forth memories of Haley, the kind that would gently brush aside the sight of her dead body and remind him of the bright actress he'd fallen for. Yes, he'd moved on after his long dream, but a part of his heart would always be hers, and that part would surface, sometimes at such random moments that he wouldn't even know what it was that prompted them.

It was in the way Jack might ask a question that was _so like_ _Haley _that Aaron would spin and expect to see her. It was in the smell of banana pancakes, which reminded him of the first song they ever danced to, a song by the name of "Banana Pancakes", standing in her family's kitchen late at night as two kids in love. It was in the sound of his own laugh, a sound that admittedly didn't appear as much as it should, whatever excuses about work he might make. It was in the times when the team would go out to that small bar on the outskirts of town the night of the Super Bowl, the same place that he and she danced for the last time before everything started going wrong.

In every day, he found the magic to bring back the memories of a life stolen too soon, and a life that deserved _so much better_, and somehow, it hurt less to remember her. It really was an everyday magic.


	27. Shades of Grey

**A very dialogue-y chapter. Fear not, the other two chapters you need will be here soon.**

Garcia spun away from her computer and spotted a tall, dark, and very familiar figure standing in her doorway.

"Enter, mere mortal!" she called out with a fake regal air.

"Greetings, oh Tech Goddess of the FBI," Morgan replied, jokingly kissing her hand like the knights of old. She giggled and smacked him.

"Oh, you!" Penelope scolded playfully. "The happy drawer not enough today?"

"Sometimes, I need more of the magical goddess that you are, Mama," Morgan laughed.

"Well, Sugar, welcome to my lair. Just remember, nothing too loud so that we don't have to have _another_ pushy seminar lady," Garcia reminded him.

"Who cares about them? So what if everyone else sees things in black and white, because we're our own shade of grey, Baby Girl."

"Ugh, don't remind me of that book," Garcia said, screwing up her face in disgust. "But I do get it. Thanks, Hot Stuff."

And for yet another day, the Tech Goddess of Quantico remained the spot of color in her team's life.


	28. Chapter 28

**_I owe you one more after this, I think, as the chapter for today. _**

**_References a character from "Demonology"_**

Rossi sat in the back pew of Father Jimmy's church, head bowed slightly as he preached about the goodness of man, and tried to remember how to believe. Their last case, a truly despicable one, had piled on top of other memories, crushing his faith in humanity.

He lit a candle made of stout red wax for three little girls whose lives had ended too soon.

"You're thinking again." Rossi turned to see his friend, Jimmy, standing behind him.

"I'm thinking that this whole world's really going to hell," he stated openly, with a forlorn note to his voice.

"You see the worst of humanity. If you didn't think that, I'd have to worry. But look here," the Father said, gesturing to a child placing a wrapped toy in a Toys For Tots donation bin. "There is good in humanity, too. Don't let yourself forget that."

"I'll try," Dave said as he walked away, his faith holding together, albeit with a few ripped seams, for another day.


	29. Dark

**Finally caught up. Enjoy! **

***donation box here***

The team thought that Reid was afraid of the dark. They were half-right.

He wasn't afraid of the dark, but of the things that lurked within it. Not monsters like in fairy tales; those that he saw. Because they often struck at night.

He loathed the dark, as well, because in the dark his memory could play back anything it chose, and he'd have to listen, to see, to _feel_ the memories.

He would think of Maeve in the dark, but not the Maeve he wanted to remember. He would think of her dead body, her lifeless, glossy, eyes that stared back with none of the love that he'd dreamed of.

The dark was as evil as those he hunted, and _that _was why he was terrified.


	30. Light

**I write too much for this ship, but whatever. I like it. *random meows***

He supposed it was the light in her eyes that he missed most of all.

Sure, he longed for the nights spent laughing together over video games, Doctor Who (and maybe a drink or three), and yeah, he couldn't deny that she was amazing in bed, but, of it all, he missed the sparkle in her eyes that shone brighter than the brightest star in heaven.

It was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen, and he was glad that they at least still worked together, so that he could see that sparkle.

For all his trying, Kevin could never get over the beautiful, fabulous, lighting-up-the-world Penelope Garcia. And he couldn't forget the light in her eyes.


	31. Lost and Found

**SO MUCH CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT! AND JLH's PREGNANCY! AND PENELOPE BEING HER PENELOPE-Y SELF *Is happy* **

**Obviously, this is a post-el for 10x17 "Breath Play"**

**Flames tonight will be donated to the HUBF. Thank you.**

Kate sat at her kitchen counter, leaning on her elbows, acutely aware of the absence of motion in her house, knowing what it meant.

She could let go.

Kate felt a few tears splash onto the white counter, and she wiped her eyes. She knew that her pregnancy would change everything, but she didn't want to lose her relationship with Meg. Although Meg wasn't biologically Kate's, she was, in every way, Kate's daughter, as much as her sister's. Now, Kate knew that, despite all her efforts, Meg would come to see this baby as a replacement.

"Then we'll just have to keep her from that, won't we?" Chris said, causing Kate to whip her head around.

"Did I say that out loud?" Kate asked quietly, pulling him in for a quick kiss.

"No, but I know you. And I know when you're thinking, even though I'm not a fancy F-B-I profiler," he said, accentuating the acronym as he said it. Kate laughed slightly, before bursting into tears.

"I hate this whole 'hormones' thing," Kate stated sadly.

"This is the part where I pretend to get it even though I'm not a girl, isn't it?" Chris joked. Kate smacked him lightly on the back of the head.

"I just… I feel like I'm losing Meg, after all this time," Kate murmured, having found herself a warm place in Chris's arms.

"We haven't lost her for good. Don't worry," Chris said, tilting Kate's head up, "no matter where she goes, we'll find her."

As she kissed Chris lightly again, Kate whispered, "I hope so."


	32. Unbreakable

**Another short post-ep to "Breath Play". **

The resilience of children would forever astonish Spencer Reid. No, it wouldn't astonish him, but merely fascinate him. He would never quite understand it.

Somehow, a teenager, who would really like to pretend to be tougher than the little girl she still was, could watch her father, the man she loved to the moon and back for years, turn into the monster under the bed, the boogeyman in her closet. And somehow, through it all, she could still find a way to love her mother, even though her trust should've been slashed through.

Maybe it was only his own childhood, marred by abandonment, that seemed irreparable. Either way, he'd never understand how children were so unbreakable, no matter what happened.


	33. Forgotten

**Soorry, people. My muse died last night, but I managed to squeeze this out before I fell asleep... on top of my computer... *has keyboard-shaped indent in face*. Please review. *Flame donation box here***

Elle Greenaway supposed that the team had forgotten her.

She wished forgetting was that easy.

Every night as she slept, her hand was wrapped around the gun again, pointed at that suspect's face, but this time, the face could change. It would shift between the few people she cared about, before finally settling on either her father, or Hotch, or Gideon. And every time, no matter what, she'd pull the trigger.

She was beyond messed up, she knew, but she couldn't get help, or even admit what she'd done.

She hoped the world would forget, but she knew.

Her crime was not forgotten.


	34. Pi Day

**Today is Pi Day. Thusly, this chapter is Pi-Day themed. HAPPY PI DAY!**

**To celebrate, all flames will be donated to the Make Tasty Meringue Foundation today. :) *random meowing***

When Penelope Garcia walked into work carrying a box, the team had no idea what to expect. Of course, they'd received plenty of strange things in boxes, with heads and butterflies making the top of the list, but thankfully, it was considerably more normal than that.

As she set it on the conference room table, Morgan was the first to speak up.

"Baby Girl, why'd you bring a pie in here?" he asked. She smiled her great big Garcia smile.

"Because, Chocolate Thunder, today is the biggest Pi Day in almost 500 years! We _have_ to celebrate," she announced animatedly. She pulled out a pie cutter and served it up before turning to Reid and saying, "How many digits of pi do you know?"

Reid began, "3.14159265...", and continued for almost half an hour.

The team learned a valuable lesson that day: Never ask a genius with an eidetic memory how many digits of pi he knows.


	35. Dreamer

Many times, Jennifer would watch her son sleeping, and she would wonder: what does he dream about? Does he dream of flying, soaring through the open sky, or maybe of a world where the monsters are true monsters and not people. She wondered if he ever dreamed of her, and some part of her hoped that he did. She wondered if he ever dreamed of Izzy, or of her mother's monsters, but she hoped not. She didn't want to think about that. She prayed that he would never dream of the day his mother disappeared, just like the countless orphaned children JJ's team would have to face.

She would watch her little dreamer sleep and hope that, no matter what he dreamed, that he'd always be safe.


	36. Mist

Aaron Hotchner loved almost all of his first post in the Bureau in Seattle, but he decidedly did _not_ like the wet curtain of mist that hung in the air over half of the year in one of the cloudiest cities in the world.

This, of course, didn't change the fact that when it became misty in Quantico, he would be transported back to the day when he first met a "real BAU agent", when he was stumped about what to do with the worst serial killer he'd ever dealt with. He would be meeting David Rossi all over again, and deciding to fight his way back to Quantico, specifically to the BAU.

So, he didn't like the mist, and he didn't love the rain, but he loved the memory of the first time he met Rossi, so maybe it was ok.

Just so long as it didn't impact Jack's soccer games.


	37. St Patrick's Day

**I hope this chapter makes you laugh. Also, this is another holiday-themed one. And, I know I'm a bad updater, but my internet has been screwy, and I've been traveling, and I fell asleep on my keyboard... several times... **

"So, who's going to come in here tomorrow hung over?" Kate asked somewhat sarcastically. "Because I, for one, can't get drunk tonight."

"Welcome to the curses of pregnancy, my friend," JJ replied. "I will also be staying sober tonight, since it's a school night." She sighed wistfully. "Of all the perks of _not_ being a mother, the ability to get wasted was one that I miss, right up there with the ability to stay asleep on the weekends."

"Well, I'm not gonna get drunk, because the last time I got supremely drunk, I woke up to a certain profiler in my bathroom, shirtless!" Garcia called down as she scurried back to her bunker. The group laughed at this statement, and Morgan was slightly embarrassed, but took it in stride.

"I'm gonna go out with Savannah tonight to celebrate," Morgan proceeded to announce. "So _we_ will just have to get drunk for all of you."

"Have fun with that," Rossi replied dryly from the catwalk, where he could look down on the gathered group in the bullpen, who had all leaned on a certain genius' desk. Said certain genius had stayed quiet, hoping they might go away and/or that Hotch would send them back to work, but, unfortunately, that didn't happen, so instead, he was forced to work as they talked over his head about St. Patrick's Day plans.

"Hey guys, did you know that…" Reid began, and he proceeded to go on a ten-minute rant of every St. Patrick's Day fact he could think of, which, thankfully, had the desired effect.

By the end, no one was leaning on Reid's desk.


	38. Out of Time

**It's laaaaaaaaaaaate at night, hehe. Hugs to Zeldawolf2000 for being pretty much my entire social life. **

**Flames will be donated to a charity of your choice. **

"I can't believe _you_ wanted to go to a bar, Reid," Morgan commented as he pushed open the door.

"Well, normally it's not my scene, but there's a special event here tonight," Reid replied as they walked up the steps. Morgan quickly stepped in front and held the door open for Penelope

"Ladies first," Morgan said jokingly.

"Why thank you, my chocolate Adonis," she replied jokingly as she passed him to enter what could only be described as a nerd's paradise. A replica of the TARDIS sat in the back, with people gathered around and drinking cocktails. Several people were dressed as the various incarnations of the Doctor, and many of the companions were present too.

"Reid, what is all this?" Morgan asked, confused. Garcia and Reid shared an exasperated look.

"I might have to revoke your nickname privileges," Garcia stated seriously. "How do you not know Doctor Who?"

"Isn't that the nerd show you two love, Baby Girl?" he asked jokingly. He was met with several glares from passersby, and a downright murderous one from Garcia.

"It's more than just some nerd show! It's the _best _nerd show!" Garcia and Reid whipped around to see Kate Callahan with a bowtie and a TARDIS charm necklace approaching. "Now you, mister, are going to go home and watch Doctor Who, right now."

"I don't have time, what with work and all!" Morgan replied indignantly. Kate, with the help of Garcia, dragged Morgan out by the arms. Reid followed them out.

"_And_ we're out of time… again…" Garcia muttered as she spotted a text from Hotch. She let go of Morgan's arm and read the message: New case. _Great…_

Like it or not, they tended to run out of time, all the time.


	39. Knowing How

**Just some pointless fluff that came out of nowhere. I'm on a fluffy spree!**

***throws fluff everywhere***

"Mommy!" Henry cried, jumping into JJ's waiting arms. "Did you catch the bad guys today?" The young mother laughed and scooped Henry up.

"I sure did, buddy!" she said happily, tickling his stomach as Will walked in. She set Henry down and kissed her husband lightly, her infectious happiness spreading throughout the house.

"What's got you so happy, darlin'?" Will drawled.

"My team has five days off, starting on Monday, and _we_ are going to Disney Land with Henry," she replied quietly, so that Henry couldn't hear them.

"When did this happen?" Will asked. "You never mentioned this to me before."

"When I found out we'd be getting time off, I looked for someplace to go, and thought of Disney, since Henry's the right age for it. Luckily, I was able to find us a place to stay, so we can go."

"Do you even know _how_ to go on vacation?" Will asked jokingly. "'Cause no matter what, you never really seem to be _on vacation_."

"I bet that we'll go to Disney, have a great time with Henry, and that I won't get called away. Despite what you think, I do know how to go on vacation," she responded.

And for once, she was right. Her occupation didn't throw a wrench in her plans, she proved she did, in fact, know how to go on vacation, and she had a wonderful time with Henry, even if she might _slightly _regret riding the Small World ride…


End file.
